The Field Museum - Systematics/Phylogenyhttp://www.fieldmuseum.org/research-area/systematicsphylogeny
enUpcoming public events! January-March 2016http://www.fieldmuseum.org/science/blog/upcoming-public-events-january-march-2015
<a href="/topic/birds">Birds</a><img srcset="http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_2400w/public/jengel2/2016/01/04/josh_birding_swartberg_pass_0.jpg?itok=9hfqtult 2400w,http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_1600w/public/jengel2/2016/01/04/josh_birding_swartberg_pass_0.jpg?itok=Z4STq65w 1600w,http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_1200w/public/jengel2/2016/01/04/josh_birding_swartberg_pass_0.jpg?itok=BlPch-Ci 1200w,http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_1000w/public/jengel2/2016/01/04/josh_birding_swartberg_pass_0.jpg?itok=1ItYcR6b 1000w,http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_800w/public/jengel2/2016/01/04/josh_birding_swartberg_pass_0.jpg?itok=aGY9YP3G 800w,http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_500w/public/jengel2/2016/01/04/josh_birding_swartberg_pass_0.jpg?itok=IoH2AH7v 500w" class="js--pictureFill" sizes="(min-width: 118.8125em) calc(100vw - 555px),(min-width: 100.0625em) calc(100vw - 380px),(min-width: 81.3125em) calc(100vw - 325px),(min-width: 62.5625em) calc(100vw - 300px),100vw" typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_800w/public/jengel2/2016/01/04/josh_birding_swartberg_pass_0.jpg?itok=aGY9YP3G" alt="" />
<p>I have five public speaking engagements coming up in the next few months, all of them different. It would be great to see you there!</p>
<p> <strong>-------------------------------------------------</strong><br />
<strong>January 19 (Tuesday): Lake Cook Audubon Society (free)</strong><br />
<strong>7:00pm, Heller Nature Center,&nbsp;2821 Ridge Rd, Highland Park</strong></p>
<p>&quot;Tales from the Bird Crypt: Stories from the Field Museum Bird Collection&quot;</p>
<p>Details:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.lakecookaudubon.org/Birding_Programs.html">http://www.lakecookaudubon.org/Birding_Programs.html</a><br />
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<strong>January 26 (Tuesday): Evanston North Shore Bird Club (free)<br />
7:30pm, Evanston Ecology Center,&nbsp;2024 McCormick Blvd, Evanston</strong></p>
<p>&quot;Birding and Natural History of Namibia: Where the Desert Comes Alive&quot;&nbsp;</p>
<p>Details:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ensbc.org/programs.html">http://www.ensbc.org/programs.html</a><br />
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***JUST ADDED***</p>
<p> February 10 (Wednesday): Kane County Audubon Society<br />
7:00pm, Hickory Knolls Discovery Center, 3795 Compton Hills Dr., Saint Charles, IL 60175</strong></p>
<p> &quot;Tales from the Bird Crypt: Stories from the Field Museum Bird Collection&quot;</p>
<p> See <a href="http://www.lakecookaudubon.org/Birding_Programs.html">here</a>&nbsp;(scroll to the bottom) for the talk description.<br />
<strong>-------------------------------------------------</strong><br />
<strong>February 16 (Tuesday): Madison Audubon Society and the Undergraduate Zoological Society of UW-Madison (free)</strong><br />
<strong>7:00pm, UW Arboretum Visitor&#39;s Center,&nbsp;1207 Seminole Hwy, Madison, WI</strong></p>
<p>&quot;The Amazing Ecology of African Birds&quot;</p>
<p> Details:&nbsp;<a href="http://madisonaudubon.org/calendar/event/the-amazing-ecology-of-african-birds">http://madisonaudubon.org/calendar/event/the-amazing-ecology-of-african-birds</a><br />
<strong>--------------------------------------------------<br />
February 23 (Tuesday): Field Museum and Music Box Theater ($10, <a href="https://ticketing.musicboxtheatre.com/Ticketing/visSelectTickets.aspx?cinemacode=0000000001&amp;txtSessionId=5919&amp;visLang=1">tickets available in advance here</a>)<br />
7:00, Music Box Theater,&nbsp;</strong><strong>3733 N Southport Ave, Chicago<br />
Pre-movie reception at 5:30, details to be determined</strong></p>
<p> CINEMA SCIENCE: <em>THE BIG YEAR</em></p>
<p><strong>--------------------------------------------------<br />
March 19 (Saturday), Chicago Audubon Society&#39;s Birding America XI ($50 for full day event, <a href="https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=6f87cb">register here</a>)<br />
2:00pm, North Park University,&nbsp;</strong><strong>3225 West Foster Avenue, Chicago (the full event goes from 9:00am-4:00pm)</strong></p>
<p> &quot;Birding Under Buddha&#39;s Gaze in the Mountains of Bhutan&quot;<br />
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<p>&nbsp;</p><span property="dc:title" content="Upcoming public events! January-March 2016" class="rdf-meta element-hidden"></span>Tue, 12 Jan 2016 22:03:48 +0000jengel220221 at http://www.fieldmuseum.orgFungus, Family Trees, and Fatal Diseasehttp://www.fieldmuseum.org/science/blog/fungus-family-trees-and-fatal-disease
<a href="/topic/sciences">Sciences</a>, <a href="/topic/dna">DNA</a>, <a href="/topic/fungi">Fungi</a>, <a href="/topic/science-newsflash">Science Newsflash</a><img srcset="http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_2400w/public/kgolembiewski/2015/07/27/cryptococcus.jpg?itok=rGxFDCy3 2400w,http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_1600w/public/kgolembiewski/2015/07/27/cryptococcus.jpg?itok=YHbreu3V 1600w,http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_1200w/public/kgolembiewski/2015/07/27/cryptococcus.jpg?itok=H29BPMxQ 1200w,http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_1000w/public/kgolembiewski/2015/07/27/cryptococcus.jpg?itok=TsTBuBwe 1000w,http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_800w/public/kgolembiewski/2015/07/27/cryptococcus.jpg?itok=bsVTMhiQ 800w,http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_500w/public/kgolembiewski/2015/07/27/cryptococcus.jpg?itok=el48LEp5 500w" class="js--pictureFill" sizes="(min-width: 118.8125em) calc(100vw - 555px),(min-width: 100.0625em) calc(100vw - 380px),(min-width: 81.3125em) calc(100vw - 325px),(min-width: 62.5625em) calc(100vw - 300px),100vw" typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_800w/public/kgolembiewski/2015/07/27/cryptococcus.jpg?itok=bsVTMhiQ" alt="" />
<p>What’s in a name? For scientists, a lot—figuring out the different species in the tree of life can help in conservation efforts. But a new study by an international group of researchers including the Field Museum illuminating different yeast species could be crucial in AIDS treatments.</p>
<p>Field Museum scientist Thorsten Lumbsch, PhD, and an international team led by Teun Boekhout from the Netherlands have discovered that two species of yeast as they’re currently classified—<em>Cryptococcus neoformans</em> and <em>Crytopcoccus gattii</em>—actually contain at least seven different species. And one of those species, <em>C. neoformans</em>, is the number-one killer of AIDS patients in sub-Saharan Africa. Now that scientists know that this species is split even further into different organisms, it may be possible to create life-saving medical treatments to target those specific yeasts.</p>
<p>“It’s pure basic research. We’re looking at different species of yeast and figuring out how they’re related, how they’re different. But this basic research will let other scientists do applied research that could save lives,” said Lumbsch.</p>
<p>Yeasts, like molds and mushrooms, are fungi—organisms separate from plants, animals, and bacteria. Some species of yeast, including the ones in this study, can cause infections. Normally, our immune systems kill off these yeasts, but people with compromised immune systems like AIDS patients and organ donation recipients are left vulnerable. The fungus can grow inside their bodies, destroying their brains and lungs.</p>
<p>“More people die of <em>Cryptococcus </em>than all other STDs combined in sub-Saharan Africa. Almost as many people die because of this yeast than from malaria,” said Lumbsch.</p>
<p>Lumbsch’s colleagues in Europe took DNA samples from the yeasts (even though fungi are radically different life forms from us, the building blocks of their DNA are identical to ours). They then sequenced the DNA, creating a “list” of the genetic code that makes up the yeasts. Once The Field’s Lumbsch got the DNA sequences, he uploaded them into a computer program that creates evolutionary trees—basically, family trees showing how similar the specimens’ DNA are to each other. In the hundreds of trials Lumbsch ran, the program kept coming back with the same answer: instead of the yeast DNA samples representing two species, they actually formed seven separate species.</p>
<p>So where we once thought there were two species of yeast, there are now seven. But how can this information make a difference?</p>
<p>“In general, fungi are very difficult to treat—the medicines that kill them harm our cells too,” says Lumbsch. “If we have a better idea of what kind of yeast is causing these infections, we can develop better treatments.”</p><span property="dc:title" content="Fungus, Family Trees, and Fatal Disease" class="rdf-meta element-hidden"></span>Mon, 27 Jul 2015 18:52:45 +0000kgolembiewski18636 at http://www.fieldmuseum.orgField Museum Intern Hannah Ranft takes a stab at revising New Zealand lichenshttp://www.fieldmuseum.org/science/blog/field-museum-intern-hannah-ranft-takes-stab-revising-new-zealand-lichens
<a href="/topic/sciences">Sciences</a>, <a href="/topic/dna">DNA</a>, <a href="/topic/lichens">Lichens</a>, <a href="/topic/collections">Collections</a>, <a href="/topic/imaging-and-scanning">Imaging and Scanning</a>, <a href="/topic/women-science">Women in Science</a><img srcset="http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_2400w/public/rlucking/2015/06/17/blog_hannah.jpg?itok=2K2nR19c 2400w,http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_1600w/public/rlucking/2015/06/17/blog_hannah.jpg?itok=R36tcCtK 1600w,http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_1200w/public/rlucking/2015/06/17/blog_hannah.jpg?itok=vDpGc8z8 1200w,http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_1000w/public/rlucking/2015/06/17/blog_hannah.jpg?itok=-US-5jFi 1000w,http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_800w/public/rlucking/2015/06/17/blog_hannah.jpg?itok=fGmLGZQq 800w,http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_500w/public/rlucking/2015/06/17/blog_hannah.jpg?itok=rr1ONTFp 500w" class="js--pictureFill" sizes="(min-width: 118.8125em) calc(100vw - 555px),(min-width: 100.0625em) calc(100vw - 380px),(min-width: 81.3125em) calc(100vw - 325px),(min-width: 62.5625em) calc(100vw - 300px),100vw" typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/2x1_800w/public/rlucking/2015/06/17/blog_hannah.jpg?itok=fGmLGZQq" alt="" title="Field Museum intern Hannah Ranft and one of her favorite lichens, Sticta menziesii" />
<p><strong>Field Museum intern Hannah Ranft from Riverside Brookfield High School is curating and scanning Lobariaceae lichens as part of a global revision of the family in New Zealand. The lichen shown is <em>Sticta menziesii</em>, a species not previously recognized but detected through DNA sequencing methods. Using the high-resolution scans, Hannah then found several morphological characters that separate the species from its closest relatives, <em>S. filix</em> and <em>S. latifrons</em>. The delicate, shrub-like specimen is the same lichen fungus as the lobed, green one, but has a different, cyanobacterial photobiont and can fix atmospheric nitrogen. These forms have been called <em>Dendriscocaulon </em>but DNA sequencing shows they contain the same fungal symbiont as the much larger, green forms.</strong></p>
<p>Macrolichens in the family Lobariaceae are among the most conspicuous and charismatic lichens on the planet, due to their often large, colorful thalli and their ecological importance and potential uses. Many species have cyanobacterial photobionts and are capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen, hence acting as biological fertilizers. Lobariaceae are also good indicators of environmental health and the conservation status of forest ecosystems. Species such as <em>Lobaria pulmonaria</em> have been used in homoeopathic medicine.</p>
<p>New Zealand is known for its extraordinary diversity of Lobariaceae, with over 70 species reported. Yet, species concepts are in great need of revision, which is why our Field Museum lichenologists Thorsten Lumbsch and Robert Lücking study this family in a global, NSF-funded project. Supervised by Robert and supported by a stipend from the Field Museum's Prince Fund, intern Hannah Ranft from Riverside Brookfield High School has been curating and barcoding more than 1000 specimens collected by Robert and colleagues Bibiana Moncada and Peter de Lange in New Zealand in February this year and scanned about 700 Lobariaceae samples at high resolution.</p>
<p>Hannah was also trained by Robert in how to assemble phylogenetic trees using sequences generated by Bibiana for nearly 500 samples and is using the high resolution scans to compare the morphology of the specimens with their position in the trees. That way, existing species concepts can be tested and adjusted. Hannah already documented two species that are new to science and resolved the species concept for several others. Hannah's project is going through the end of June and by then Hannah will have established herself as an expert on New Zealand Lobariaceae and will co-author a revision of the family from "down under".</p><span property="dc:title" content="Field Museum Intern Hannah Ranft takes a stab at revising New Zealand lichens" class="rdf-meta element-hidden"></span>Wed, 17 Jun 2015 17:07:06 +0000rlucking18361 at http://www.fieldmuseum.org